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Lou Roffman was a character if there ever was a character.
A clown, a magician, an enlisted aircraft engineer, and a hero in his own right.
His parents both died in the flu epidemic in 1918 when he was 8 months old. He was raised in a orphanage until high school when he was placed with foster parents. He joined the Army Air Corp in 1936 at the age of 18.
He said he only had two choices, get in the bread line, or get in the mess line. He always said the the bread line was just too long.
Lou learned aircraft mechanics at Chanute, and was later transfered to Pearl Harbor in 1939. He survived the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941.
During the war in the Pacific he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for landing a damaged B-17 when the co-pilot was killed and the pilot lost part of his arm. Lou was wounded himself, but was still able to succesfully land the airplane.
Lou spent the war on various islands around the Pacific, with the occasional side trip to Australia.
While in Australia, Lou stopped into a local bar for a few beers. After he had drank his fill, he decided to call it a night and go back to the barracks. To let the bartender know he didn't want another beer, he turned his glass upside down on the bar. An Aussie soldier saw this and asked "You mean it Yank?", Lou replied "Darn right I mean it" and was told by the Aussie "Follow me". Lou followed him out of the bar and was immediately hit right between the eyes. It blackened both his eyes. They Aussie said "Yank, when you turn over your glass in an Aussie bar, you challenge anyone in the bar to a fight."
When he showed up to work the next day someone asked him "Hey Lou, who gave you the shiners?" to which he replied, "Nobody gave them to me, I had to fight for them."
Lou Roffman went on run several successful businesses after the war, and spent his free time entertaining children and veterans with his magic acts and as a clown.
Lou passed away on Friday afternoon, 10 August 2012, after a long battle with Cancer. He was 94 years old. He will be missed.
Here is Lou at the 70th Anniversay of the Pearl Harbor Attack.
He is performing an illusion for some girls. Lou only did illusions, never tricks. He claimed that only dogs and prostitutes did tricks.
A clown, a magician, an enlisted aircraft engineer, and a hero in his own right.
His parents both died in the flu epidemic in 1918 when he was 8 months old. He was raised in a orphanage until high school when he was placed with foster parents. He joined the Army Air Corp in 1936 at the age of 18.
He said he only had two choices, get in the bread line, or get in the mess line. He always said the the bread line was just too long.
Lou learned aircraft mechanics at Chanute, and was later transfered to Pearl Harbor in 1939. He survived the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941.
During the war in the Pacific he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for landing a damaged B-17 when the co-pilot was killed and the pilot lost part of his arm. Lou was wounded himself, but was still able to succesfully land the airplane.
Lou spent the war on various islands around the Pacific, with the occasional side trip to Australia.
While in Australia, Lou stopped into a local bar for a few beers. After he had drank his fill, he decided to call it a night and go back to the barracks. To let the bartender know he didn't want another beer, he turned his glass upside down on the bar. An Aussie soldier saw this and asked "You mean it Yank?", Lou replied "Darn right I mean it" and was told by the Aussie "Follow me". Lou followed him out of the bar and was immediately hit right between the eyes. It blackened both his eyes. They Aussie said "Yank, when you turn over your glass in an Aussie bar, you challenge anyone in the bar to a fight."
When he showed up to work the next day someone asked him "Hey Lou, who gave you the shiners?" to which he replied, "Nobody gave them to me, I had to fight for them."
Lou Roffman went on run several successful businesses after the war, and spent his free time entertaining children and veterans with his magic acts and as a clown.
Lou passed away on Friday afternoon, 10 August 2012, after a long battle with Cancer. He was 94 years old. He will be missed.
Here is Lou at the 70th Anniversay of the Pearl Harbor Attack.
He is performing an illusion for some girls. Lou only did illusions, never tricks. He claimed that only dogs and prostitutes did tricks.
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